Exploring the Energy with Anzo & Friends

What an honor to have the McAuley patriarch Alec "Big Al" McAuley and his two sons, Sean & Tim, in the studio for a trip down memory lane about music, sports and sports legends, and most of all, about love & family. The spotlight was on Big Al by design, and he did not disappoint.  He brings us back to his life growing up the eldest of 10 children, playing high school basketball...

After a brief hiatus, it's great to be back! I'm joined by my friend Matt “Pooch” Kiernan and his band of brothers - Bernie “Bonzo” Kiernan (his actual brother), Scott “Deece” DeSimone, and Gary “needs-a-nickname” Catania. Matt and I recently become fast friends through our mutual love of music, our love of our family, our passion for golf, and a new shared friendship with his brother an...

This one-on-one conversation was a while in the making, and so well worth the wait.  Being a longtime customer of Grateful Fred and a fellow Deadhead, I’m honored to have hosted the founder of what I consider to be one of the premier Grateful Dead product producers in the country, Grateful Fred, Stephen McMennamy - https://grateful-fred.com/collections/badges   The episode is in no way intended to...

My friend, John Macario, returns to the show and we pick up right where we left off back in late 2024 when he first shared his amazing story.  It’s been 19 months since John lost the love of his life and fellow Deadhead, Meg, at age 52 to complications following a liver transplant.  We catch up on how he and their 12-year old daughter, Gloria, are doing facing the world together as the dynamic duo...

In Part II of the continuing celebration of Bobby Weir and his life well-lived, I’m joined by lifelong Deadheads, Ted “The” Bahr and Paul “Nud” Schmitz.  Nud kicks off the conversation by sharing his thoughts on Bobby’s one-of-a-kind “rhythmic-lead” style, and how this unique approach to the guitar was unlike any rhythm guitarist.  We walk through the early days in the mid-60’s when, as Nud puts i...

Bobby Weir - October 16th, 1947 - January 10th, 2026 This one hurts, and feels very much like the closing of a chapter.  Yet at the same time, we CELEBRATE.  We celebrate the amazing life of founding member of the Grateful Dead, Bobby Weir, and we kick off with two lifelong Deadheads - both previous podcast guests - Tim “Tmac” McGuire and Kevin “Camp” Campion.   Tim leads the way, recalling his ea...

As much as unexpected and tragic loss tests the human spirit, sometimes it can become the catalyst for good.  And that is exactly the mission that my friend, Erik Larson, has embraced after suddenly losing his best friend, Greg Kline, in August of 2020. Greg had a motto that he lived by, Get Busy Living, and Erik embodies all that is about getting busy living.  But now, he’s also embodying getting...

Huntington, Long Island - home to so many of the amazing people that I am lucky to call my friends and family - continues to create new bonds and new friendships.  In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, I could not be more grateful for those connections.  Thanks to a few of those lifelong friends, I’ve been recently connected to a fellow Huntingtonian, a fellow music-lover, fellow golfer, fellow genu...

In somewhat of an unconventional "studio" setting - namely a gutted former restaurant under renovation and equipped with only a table, a few folding chairs, a cooler of beer and an extension cord - 6 fellow music lovers travelled from across the Eastern Seaboard to Downtown Huntington to discuss and debate a subject that has been the hot topic among the group for over 6 years.  "Wha...

This one was a big deal for me. My guest, Dennis McNally, isn’t just a reknowned author, music historian, and publicist, he’s someone I’ve long considered somewhat of a “celebrity” in my world.  From 1984 to 1995, Dennis was the Grateful Dead’s publicist and part of the band’s inner circle. He’s written five books, including the classic Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead ,...

My friendship with John “Dino” DeNatale began in kindergarten over 50 years ago in the early 1970’s in Huntington’s own Flower Hill School.  In this episode, John and I look back on our five decades of connection, the memories that shaped us along the way, and the big-picture lessons that we’ve learned and carried forward to this day. At the heart of our conversation is a simple truth: LOVE is all...

It’s a tall order to try to capture the true color and the complete character of my cousin, Jonny Staib, in one conversation.  Which is why I chose to invite four guests on this episode of Exploring the Energy to help me paint the full picture of this amazing human being.  I’m proud to introduce a select few of his closest friends and family - including brothers Timmy and Tommy Sheerin, my cousin...

What a treat hosting one of the best and most beautiful couples I know, Kim & Gregg Carlin.   Kim, being a southern girl and all, kicks off our conversation by sharing her love of country music and explains why she gravitates to the likes of Chris Stapleton, Toby Keith, George Strait, and Willie Nelson.  She comes clean explaining that she’ll be at Madison Square Garden the night after our int...

My relatively new friendship with Robyn Pray is undoubtedly a result of the universe connecting the two of us.  Here’s how that happened and why this episode means so much to me. In the summer of 2023, I received a very kind and somewhat mysterious note from a name that I didn’t recognize, though I did recognize the sender’s address - Keeseville Free Library in Keeseville, New York.  Admittedly no...

I was honored and proud to host yet another member of the Villanova Wildcat Crew, my friend Peter Russell.  To say that Peter and I have a few things in common would be an understatement and it wouldn’t do our friendship justice.  First and foremost, we both appreciate energy, and we embrace the people that exude positive energy, starting with two of the most beautiful souls in the universe, Raine...

Now in their 20’s and all having left the nest, it’s not often I get to spend extended one-on-one time with my daughters.  This is why this episode is so special to me. A few weeks ago my youngest daughter, Lilly, and I embarked on a 12+ hour roadtrip from our home town of Greenlawn, Long Island to Charleston, South Carolina where Lilly will join her sister, Hannah, and call it home for a while. A...

The title may be a bit of a giveaway, but unlike all previous episode show notes where I share a preview of the content, in this very special episode, I invite listeners to learn about my guest, Dan Pashman, by tuning in and finding out Dan’s amazing story for themselves.  In other words, I’ll keep you in suspense! Join us, and let’s see where the energy takes us! Anything’s Pastable https://www.s...

It was intentional and by design that the official rebrand of the podcast from Grateful Dad & Friends to Exploring the Energy w/ Anzo & Friends kicked off at a local, music-centric brewery, aptly named, U.S. Brews.   What better place to explore the energy?! In the inaugural episode, I’m joined by U.S. Brews owner & founder, Brian “Gunny” McGunnigle and Paul “Nud” Schmitz, with special...

I 've known Jason Darby for over 45 years, and while we've long shared a deep bond through our love of family, golf & tennis, and music, I was still surprised by the depth of his knowledge when it comes to the guitar—and especially his passion for legendary players like Eddie Van Halen, Nuno Bettencourt, and Keith Richards, to name a few. Our conversation kicks off with a trip down m...

Circa Fall 1982, I first met Mike Rice in Huntington High School’s 9th-grade math class, where we became fast friends and “partners in crime.”   In fact, it turns out it wasn’t until we sat down on this Thursday afternoon in February ‘25, some 43years later, that we discovered our connection goes back as far as 1974, when we shared the same kindergarten class in Flower Hill Elementary School. Fast...

My friend of 50+ years, Justin Rubin, joins me and shares his recent experience facing the L.A. Wildfires and how the fires have affected his closest friends in the surrounding areas, and how L.A. is rising to the occasion as they enter the rebuilding process.   He relives his journey of his early days at Canterbury School when his world was rocked by the loss of his brother, Greg, from a brain tu...

Grateful Dad & Friends would not exist if it weren’t for my guest, Will Retherford, who founded and owns the Tulsa-based production company, Citizens of Sound.  I have my friend Lawrence Zarian - who some of you may know from his regular appearances on The Kelly Clarkson Show or from his podcast, You Are Beautiful With Lawrence Zarian - to thank for connecting us.  Although it’s my GUESTS who...

Love really IS in the air as we approach Valentine’s Day.  On today’s episode, I’m joined by the love of my life, my bride Ms Margs, and our friends, Lindsey Janes and Will Derasmoto, to celebrate their love and to toast to their recent engagement!   The conversation includes the story of how, despite the age gap and despite being in different phases of life during the early days of their relation...

The Energy Train keeps rolling with an unforgettable guest: Dave “Fetts” Fetterolf. A dynamic personality with boundless energy, Fetts is a man of many talents—insane athletic ability, a battery that never quits, a wildly successful career, and his most important role of all - husband and proud father of three. In this episode Fetts opens up about his journey, sharing how he overcame dyslexia to e...

Kicking off Season 4 and ringing in 2025 with a cool cat that has widened my musical lens TENFOLD, Mr. John “Johnny Gowanus” Hennegan.   Although I’ve known John since the early 80’s and we’ve run with the same group of guys over the years, I had zero clue just how broad his taste in music is, so a big shoutout to Erik “Swede” Larson for suggesting I invite John to be a guest on GD&F in the fi...